share

Going Against the Flow

Abstract

The mechanism of action of a drug already used for immunosuppression reveals a new level of regulation of lymphocyte. Mandala et al. show that the active form of the drug FTY720 becomes phosphorylated once administered and resembles sphingosine-1-phosphate, a lipid whose activation of cognate receptors has been implicated in modulating the immune response. The drug and lipid achieve immunosuppressive effects by inhibiting the circulation of lymphocytes in the body.